The best of BC food, beverage, and natural health products were celebrated by a crowd of over 400 people at the annual BC Food & Beverage Awards ceremony last night in Vancouver. Over 17,000 online votes were cast to determine winners in over 10 categories.
“There were so many deserving nominees this year for all the Awards”, says BC Food & Beverage CEO James Donaldson. “Each of the finalists and winners exemplify passion and leadership in driving success for themselves and the businesses they work for. They were really reflective of the diversity we have in our industries community as well and they all are deserving of this great recognition.”
Cascadia Seaweed, who won the Innovation award in 2020 and the Sustainability award in 2021, added to their collection by taking home the Social Impact award last night. They also received accolades for their CPG brand, Kove Ocean Foods, which was nominated in the prestigious Best In Brand category.
“Our mission is to be the largest provider of ocean-cultivated seaweed in North America,” said Carlo Zarrillo on behalf of Cascadia Seaweed. “And we cannot do this work alone.” Cascadia Seaweed partners with coastal First nations who participate in farming activities and have oversight and input into their operations from site selection to scale. This coming season the company will have 7 farms in partnership with 5 Indigenous communities around Vancouver Island, as well as test lines in Northern BC. “Each agreement is as unique as the Nations we partner with,” says Zarrillo. “Embedded in our values is our goal of forming mutually beneficial partnerships that generate economic opportunities for coastal First Nations. It is a true honour to receive this award.”
https://www.bcfbawards.com/winners
